A tale of two Tiger 1050s
Owners love the Triumph Tiger 1050 so much they’re reluctant to change – even for a newer one. What makes it so special and how is it beside the new model? We ride both to find out
IT WAS A 900-mile two-up round trip to Assen on my Daytona 675, with my wife, that convinced me to try something more comfortable,” says Tiger 1050 owner and RIDE reader Richard Howes. “Every hour we had to get off and stretch. It was a pain. On the way there we met a Tiger 1050 owner and he let the wife have a sit on the back. It was orange, with heated grips and a full luggage system. Safe to say, the wife spent the rest of the trip wishing she was on the Tiger.”
Richard is still a sportsbike rider at heart: “I’d never paid much attention to adventure bikes. I appreciated the riding position and I liked the size, but I didn’t like the looks and they weren’t sporty enough. But the Tiger 1050 is on 17in wheels in normal tyre sizes: a 120/70 front and a 180/55 rear.”
Still, it was few years before Richard took the plunge: “I saw this bike in a dealer near Doncaster. It was the same spec as the bike we’d tried in Holland, so that was the one for me.”
He’s never looked back.“i absolutely love it. For the road, I can’t think of anything better. When you push it hard it gets a bit wallowy, no doubt about it – winding the damping up full made a big improvement. It’s so torquey you can just open it up in top and it pulls, even from low revs. The comfort’s like being in an armchair, but it can still scratch.”
It’s wonderful to hear someone praise their bike with such obvious affection, but what does Richard want to discover about the new Tiger Sport?
“I’m keen to find out how far it’s come on in terms of braking ability and suspension quality,” says Richard. “And presumably it’s a better engine.” With that, we swap keys and go for a ride.
Tiger evevolution
In the 1990s. Triumph was at the front of the adventure-bike class with the Tiger 900, then the 955i – the original Tiger actually predated BMW’S R1100GS by a year. But by the early 2000s, things were changing. Work on the all-new Tiger 1050 actually started in 2003 – at the same time as work on the Speed Triple, Sprint ST and Daytona 675. From the word go, the planned new Tiger was a pure road model, eschewing any off-road styling or capability.
The Tiger 1050 was launched in 2006. It was fast, smooth, comfy and sporty. It had a relatively long-stroke 1050cc engine which, even detuned to 110bhp from the higher-output version used in
2005’s Sprint ST, had a beautiful spread of torque from an ultrasmooth, vibe-free lump. It had a high-spec chassis, a light weight and an all-day riding position many thought was the comfiest Hinckley had produced.
Yet by late 2010, as details of a new range of more dual-sport 800cc Tigers emerged from Hinckley, many assumed the Tiger 1050 would be for the chop. Instead, it clung on with minor updates: in 2010 it got ABS as an option and in 2012 the fairing was improved… but surely that would be it? Beside the new adventure-styled 1200cc Tiger Explorer and the 800s, the road-based Tiger 1050 was looking increasingly out of place.
Except, it was still a massively popular bike with its owners – and so in 2013 the Tiger 1050 had a heavy update. It got a sleeker fairing and tail unit; a slimmer, lower seat for the rider with a broader seat for the pillion; a 10bhp power increase, revised suspension; a single-sided swingarm, better ABS, new headlights and an even more relaxed riding position with bars closer to the rider. It also got a new name: the Tiger Sport. At the same time, the quality of the finish took a big step forward, with better detailing and higher quality used materials throughout.
For 2016 the Tiger Sport continued to evolve, getting a ride-by-wire throttle with adjustable engine modes, traction control, cruise control and even more refined ABS. There were improvements to fuelling and gearbox, and the fairing gained side deflectors and an adjustable screen.
Tiger 1050 v Tiger Sport
It’s this latest Tiger Sport model that Tiger 1050 owner Richard just been caning around the Cambridgeshire countryside , while I follow on his Tiger 1050. How does he rate the new Sport compared with his 2008 Tiger? “The two things I notice immediately are the brakes and the engine’s power delivery,” says Richard. “The Tiger Sport’s brakes are phenomenal – so much better. Real, one finger stuff. So much sharper, and smoother too.”
Richard’s right; his bike takes a good four-fingers to haul up and the difference is noticeable. Both Tigers have radial four-pot Nissins that look similar, so maybe Richard’s just needs a clean? It only takes one sticky piston to spoil the performance.
“The other difference is the power delivery,” he continues. “The Sport is so linear. It reminds me of an electric motor. There’s no torque curve as such. It’s more of a torque line – just straight forward. My bike has a much more organic delivery – you can feel it building up, through bumps and dips. I’m not keen on the new bike’s throttle behaviour – it feels as if it has a lot of slack in it.”
Richard has his Tiger 1050’s suspension wound up to the max and it feels like it,
“The brakes are so much sharper and smoother”
giving a very firm (but not harsh) ride over bumps. It’s so stiff that to me it feels as if the grip is almost compromised at very high speeds, as the bike chops and chatters, flicking off undulations in the tarmac. It’s much more lively than the plusher ride of the new Tiger,
“I’m a bit heavier than you,” laughs Richard. “Plus I’m used to riding sportsbikes, so I like the extra stiffness. But there’s no question that the Tiger Sport absorbs bumps better. It’s so good it almost makes me wonder if I shouldn’t get my bike’s suspension overhauled…”
I’m not so sure. His Tiger has lots of damping for a ten-year-old bike and the suspension hasn’t lost its performance. It’s just set-up very firmly – but there should be scope to adjust it to get a ride more like that of the newer model.
One big difference between the bikes is how much higher I sit on the 1050, with my body more over the front end of the bike than it is on the Sport. It’s a very different riding position, much more active and engaged – but no less comfy. The new bike has a more effective fairing and keeps wind off better, but I sit lower in it, almost slumped behind the tank. Richard feels the same way: “Yes, as soon as I sat on it I thought, ‘Wow, this is low... or the footpegs are high.’ I bet they’ve made the seat lower and the pegs have stayed where they were – it makes sense because you have to be 6ft to ride the 1050, really.” He’s right: from the waist down, the Sport feels more compact but nowhere near as tall – or as wide – as the 1050. “I think I’m more comfortable on my bike,” he says.
That’s not the only thing he prefers about his decade-old 1050. “I have to say, throttle control is such an important part of riding a bike and I much prefer the wire cable on my bike to the ride-by-wire throttle on the Sport,” Richard says. “Mine is so connected to the back wheel and it feels stable. The Sport throttle is disconnected in my hand.”
Would Richard change his bike for a Tiger Sport? “It’s had all these tweaks to perfect it – and cumulatively they do make it significantly different. But it’s not better enough to make me rush out and buy one,” he says. Which means when Triumph claim that, of all their customers, Tiger owners are the ones who keep their bikes the longest and are most reluctant to trade up, Richard is living proof.
Besides, ten years old is nothing for a Tiger. Few used bikes come in under £3500 and most are £4500 or more. That’s what you get when the old bike really is a good one – and the Tiger 1050’s a great one.